Unexpected
The dimness of dusk and a decade’s worth of grime made the rundown apartment block’s orange bricks appear a shadowy brown. Double checking the glossy business card in his hands, Francis made sure that every door of his Corolla was locked. Muttering about calm seas and sunny beaches, Francis looked back at his car, nervous. The northern suburbs were known for carjackers. He left the … Continue reading Unexpected
Grief Train
My experience of grief has always resembled an all-stations train—a hop-on, hop-off service, well-timed in its arrival to the appropriate station, each one representing an emotional response. A rite-of-passage if you will, in the journey of coming to terms with loss. In February 2020, I was again on-board the Grief Train, although this time the journey was different—it was an express service. The train whirred … Continue reading Grief Train
You can still see the golden arches: the 2022 NSW flood crisis
All I can think of is my grandmother praying: her rosary beads threaded loosely between the base of her palm, forefinger, and thumb. Caught in a five-day storm, she can only watch as the rain fills the gutters, and the river rises beneath her. My grandmother is a kind person, and she prays for the families, businesses and animals being taken by the rising water. … Continue reading You can still see the golden arches: the 2022 NSW flood crisis
Confessions from the inside
Was a real trip to get your letter, love. Been thinking about you every day since I got here. I was hoping you’d write but then I was hoping you wouldn’t ‘cos I didn’t know if I could find the words to write back if you did. Now the words are tumbling out so fast I don’t know if I’ve got enough paper to catch … Continue reading Confessions from the inside
Australia’s Latest Rape Culture Reckoning
Content warning: This piece contains mention of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence. In January 2021, I watched in awe as Grace Tame was named Australian of the Year. We all know her story by now: at fifteen, she was groomed and repeatedly raped by her high school maths teacher, Nicolaas Bester. He was fifty-eight at the time. Bester was eventually convicted in 2011 and … Continue reading Australia’s Latest Rape Culture Reckoning
black as the air we breathe
i. I can’t breathe, he said knee-to-throat choke-hold soft-brown-skin reflected in the glint of a pointed badge protect courage serve compassion float under a cloud etched in hate everything. hurts. water. please. faces watch the thirst grow desperate drought tongue motions mama mama comfort in the word that created it incarnated affirmation of life-love-skin-blood breath mama mama breathes all in to life {Beginning} sun scorched … Continue reading black as the air we breathe
This is my love letter
What must I do to prove my love? If I started sending you flowers, Would you understand, Understand like Victorian gentlemen once did, Understand it as a language of love? If I sent you an agapanthus, Would you understand? Would you know it meant I was signaling my intent, That this was a love letter? If I sent you some asters, Would you understand? Would … Continue reading This is my love letter
How Self-help Authors are Saving Lives in COVID Times
Feelings cannot always be traded online. The thrill at the sound of the ocean, or goosebumps at the sight of an art gallery, even the hype and smell of a movie theatre—the buttery popcorn, the excited whispers, and dreamy exits—where have they gone? How can we cope with our lives now that they are no longer accessible? Here lies a generation who suffer through the … Continue reading How Self-help Authors are Saving Lives in COVID Times
Book Review: No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
When American poet Patricia Lockwood’s poem Rape Joke went viral in 2013 as a response to a public debate about whether rape jokes could ever be funny, it established her as the unofficial poet laureate of Twitter. Her 2017 memoirPriestdaddy, about growing up as the daughter of a conservative minister, similarly made waves and cemented Lockwood as a voice of the zeitgeist. To say I was excited … Continue reading Book Review: No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
7 Ways to Fulfil The Travel Bug During COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic landed upon us and threw everything off-kilter. It’s been several months now and the entire world is still feeling the devastating effects of the virus, especially within the world of travel. We can no longer move, drive or fly to places we’ve been to before or always yearned to visit for the first time the way we used to. It’s particularly been … Continue reading 7 Ways to Fulfil The Travel Bug During COVID-19
WORDLY Magazine 